Darkest before the Dawn
by Junkinator
Summary: From the POV of Miranda. The Galaxy is falling to shit. The reapers invaded and Cerberus Is hunting down Miranda. Leave me some reviews and suggest ideas for chapters, let me know if I'm doing good or its shit. rating and genre will be adjusted when I know what im doing
1. Chapter 1

Miranda sat in a dark room on the floor leaning her back against the wall. It would be pitch black were it not for the orange glow of her omni-tool. Had the room been lighter, the peeling wallpaper, ripped carpet, and more stains throughout the room would all be visible. Some of the stains lining the floor and bed, she knew were from a spilled drink, while others she did not want to know the answer to. She stared at her wrist, waiting for the person on the other line to answer her call. After her patience had been thoroughly tested, the person picked up. Who appeared was a red head with rustled hair running down to her shoulders who looks like she just got up.

"_Hello?" _A familiar voice said "_Who is this? All I see is black." _She then yawned.

_"Shepard… It's Miranda. Sorry for waking you up." _ She answered with a low tone.

"_Miranda?! It's really you? Man. It's been a few months since you left and not a word since then." _ The Commander said, Sounding as if she's been up for hours "_What's the matter? Is everything alright_?" She added, with a hint of concern.

"_It's Cerberus. Commander, they're closing in on me. No matter how far I run or how good I hide, they are always right behind me. I'm calling you on an encrypted network. I'm in the slums of the Citadel, Shepard. I can't keep running, I'm nearly all out of credit." _She said, her voice cracking a bit "_I've been living in a shitty, rundown motel for the last 4 days. I feel as if I'm going to get lung cancer by breathing the air, and a virus by just using the bathroom. I keep the lights off so this room won't make me vomit… Shepard, I want to go home. Would it be alright if I were to rejoin you on the Normandy?" _A tear hidden by the darkness rolled down her cheek.

_"Of course! God knows I need your help dealing with the reapers. I'll have someone come get you tomorrow, just tell me where."_

_"Tomorrow at noon, Docking station Q4, Level 3, Section 13. Lawson out."_

She closed her omni-tool. Engulfed by the darkness, and alone with her thoughts, she tilts her head back until it hits the wall with an audible _thud_. She closed her eyes, but sleep did not come easy to her that night, like many others before it. She remained in this position for an hour. Then two. Then three. Until finally, she slipped into unconsciousness.

The next morning, Miranda got up at 11am. Her back still touching the wall, but she was laying down on her side, her face touching whatever vile substance was left by one of the previous occupants. Though it took her a few seconds to realize this, but when she did she shot up to her feet like someone just stabbed her heart with an adrenaline needle. "_Ughhh fuuuck!" _She said to herself, wiping her cheek with her hand. She made her way to the bathroom, knowing there was nothing on her cheek, but still feeling as if there was. Looking into the broken mirror, parts of it missing in some places. Taking a few moments to examine herself; her hair was a mess, the white chest piece of her latex outfit was dirty, and her left sleeve was ripped off, exposing her arm. Sighing, she looked at her cheek and confirmed what she knew, nothing was there, but she still felt dirty. Putting her hands under the sink, which had been working perfectly, she waited for the water to come. But instead, the sound of pipes rattleing, trying to force water out, but nothing. "_God-Damnit!" _She yelled, and brought her fist down on the faucet, breaking it off its base and sending it spinning around in the sink.

She's living a stressful life, and every once in a while she has to vent a little bit. A few seconds later she managed to calm herself down. Looking at the time on her omni-tool she saw it was 11:05. Giving her enough time to get to the rendezvous point and scout the area. All she had with her was a backpack with an identical suit to what she was wearing, a small pistol, and a few thermal clips, which she grabbed on her way out the door. She walked down the small corridor with doors to other rooms on either side and graffiti lining the walls. This is the Reds territory. Miranda went down a flight of stairs and found herself in the lobby. A Batarian behind the front desk, two human males having a smoke and talking to each other by the entrance, and a Krogan just walking in. She made her way to the door, looking at the two Humans by the door who stared back at her. Returning her sight forward, she was out the door and in the busy streets of the Bo'Kren District. If she remembers the area properly, she's only a 20 minute walk from the Docking Station.

At 11:57 Miranda finally got to where she was supposed to be, after several wrong turns. "_This place is a fucking maze…"_ She said to herself. So much for checking out the area. Taking a seat on a bench right in front of the Section 14 Dock, she waited for her shuttle to arrive. As soon as the clock struck 12, the Normandy's shuttle was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes go by and still, nothing. After a half an hour of waiting, she is rewarded with more nothing. Already on a short fuse, her blood is now starting to boil. If another minute goes by and her ride is still not here, someone is going to have a closed casket funeral. Just then she gets a call on her omni-tool. Cortez. She answers it, nearly foaming at the mouth.

"_CORTEZ! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT SECTION 14 35 MINUTES AGO!" _She yells at him.

_"Ms. Lawson, You're supposed to be at section 13. I've been here since noon."_

Miranda pauses, her mouth slightly ajar. She turns her head around to view section 13._ "Well you're not at Section 13 either."_

_"Ma'am, third floor." He responded, still completely calm._

She looked at the wall by the stairs where a large "2" is clearly visible, all venom seemingly disappearing from her. _"Uhm.. Be right there." _She said, getting up and quickly walking up to the third floor_. "Okay, Im here. Third floor, section 13. It's still empty."_

_"Q3" _He stated.

_"Oh… Make that Q2…" _Miranda answered utterly embarrassed, admitting to herself she's been off a bit lately.

_"Be there in 5. Cortez out." _He said before ending the call.

Miranda took a seat on the bench, burying her red face in her hands. '_I wouldn't mind if Cerberus just came and took me right now'_ she thought to herself. Exactly 5 minutes later, Cortez Pulls up in the familiar Normandy shuttle and opens the hatch on the side. Miranda gets up and walks into the shuttle, still red as a tomato. Sticking her head into the cockpit, she addressed Cortez.

"_Hey Cortez… Sorry about that… It's good to see you again_." She says with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of her neck.

Cortez turns to face Miranda, "Don't worry about it." He laughs. "It's good to see you again, too." Turning back around to face front. "Hey, do you know those people?" He asks.

"Who?" She asks, curious

"Those two men standing behind the chair you were sitting in. They're looking right at us." He says.

Miranda looks at the two very familiar figures. Then it clicks. "Get out of here. Now." She says aggressively. "I think they're working for Cerberus."

"Yes ma'am." Cortez says as he presses a button to close a hatch and takes off.

She walks back into the cabin of the Shuttle and straps herself into a seat. '_What am I going to do when im aboard the Normandy? How should I act? What will I say to Shepard?' _ She thinks to herself. She pondered this for most of the flight back to the Normandy, and when they were 2 minutes out she decided to act professional. It's what she's used to, and she's good at it.

When the Kodiak lands, Miranda unbuckles herself and stands up, waiting by the door. As it starts to open, she could see a pair of feet standing at the bottom. Slowly enough, the door reveals the legs, hips, torso, and finally Shepards head. She was wearing her casual clothes, still a very Commander-esq outfit. Black pants, and a Jacket that says "Im a higher Rank than you" with black along the sleeves and connecting across the shoulders, dark blue everywhere else, and gold trimmings outlining where the colors meet. Miranda steps out of the Shuttle and extends her hand to Shepard. "_Commander_." She greets.

Shepard steps forward, pushing Mirandas hand out of the way and hugging her tightly. "_Miranda! It's so good to see you again!_" She says excitedly. "_God. You smell._" She laughs.

'_So much for being professional_' Miranda said and hesitated before returning the hug "Its good to see you too. And yeah, I do need a shower. And a new change of clothes." She said before breaking the hug.

"_Right. I have some good news, and some bad news. Good news is I think we still have some of your old Cerberus Uniforms somewhere down in storage. Bad news is Liara set up her own command center in your old room… You'll have to be staying in the Crew Quarter for a bit. Sorry._"

"_Oh. No, that's fine._" Miranda answered with a let down expression. "_I think I remember where everything is. I'm going to go take a shower now, if you don't mind._"

"_The womans bathroom is currently occupied, Ms. Lawson." _EDI replied over the intercom

"_You can use my shower if you'd like._" Shepard stated

"_Are you sure?_" Miranda responded.

"_What are friends for?_" Shepard answered "Besides, we've already seen each othe-"

"_Thanks, Commander. I'll go now._" She said, cutting off Shepard.

Miranda stood under the showerhead for at least 10 minutes, letting the water run over her curves, before she started to clean the dirt off her. Looking around for soaps, she sees that Shepard spares no expense. The finest shampoo and conditioner on this side of the Milky Way. Sah'Mal, taken all the way from Ilium. Then there's a body soap called Modak. She opened it and took a smelled the contents. It made her nose scream in pure ecstasy. Turning it around, much to her surprise it was made somewhere on Tuchunka, making her chuckle.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opens and Miranda covered her chest and yells at the intruder. "Relax! It's just me." Shepard laughs. "I got you one of your old outfits. The Cerberus Insignia has been removed, plus there's another thing. You'll see when you get out." After that, the Commander left the bathroom and the door closed behind her. Grumbling slightly, Miranda gets back to cleaning herself.

Another 10 minutes go by and she finally finishes her shower, feeling nice and clean. Stepping out of the shower, she dries herself off with a towel. She walks up to a mirror, wipes away the condensation and looks at herself, comparing her now to the way she was in the morning. Her black, wet hair reflecting the light. She looks much better now than she did before. Plus she smells better. Looking to her left, she sees folded by the door her old uniform, nicely folded on the floor. She walks over, drops her towel and picks it up. The left sleeve was missing. Just like the one she was wearing for god knows how long. Opening the bathroom door with her uniform in hand, she walks into the commanders Cabin naked and sees her sitting in her bed doing something on her onmi-tool. "Achem." She clears her throat loudly.

Shepard looks up and is surprised at what she sees. A completely naked Miranda Lawson standing at the end of her bed, her 34C chest wide out in the open. "_Woah! Look Miranda, just because you and I had a thing once or twice doesn't mean you can walk back in here after seve-_"

"_Shut-up_" Miranda cutting Shepards sarcastic rant off "Why did you cut my sleeve off?"

"_I saw you when you got here today with it torn off, and I liked the way it looked_." Shepard simply said.

"_And my other suits?_" Miranda demanded an answer to.

"_Maaaaay have had the same thing done to them._"

Miranda grabs a pillow from the couch and throws it at the Commander. "_God-damnit, Shepard!_" She yells. "_This isn't something you can just go over my head and do with my permission! Im not your pet for you to do whatever you want with!_" Miranda said as she slid her suit on, zipped it up, and stormed out of the room and onto the elevator. But as soon as the door was about to close, Shepard calls out for Miranda, who then prevents the doors from closing "_What is it_?"

"_Tomorrow we head for Palaven. The reapers attacked the Turian homeworld. We have to extract a Turian Primarch. I want you there with me._" Shepard states.

"_Ughh fine. Im in._" Miranda responds


	2. Chapter 2: Cant do anythign right

**Chap 2: Cant do anythign right**

**In this chapter, Miranda and Shepard have a bit of a conflict. Plus getting a Turian off Palaven. I figured I'd pust this chapter out quickly, seeing as its my birthday on the 1st, this is my present to all of you! Leave a review, and suggest some things for upcoming chapters! Thanks!**

The next morning Miranda woke up in the top bunk in the crews quarter. She looked around the dark room and could hardly make out the objects surrounding her. After rubbing her eyes and focusing for a few seconds, she could see the faint shaped of what she could only imagine to be the other crew members still sleeping. Looking at the clock, she could see that it was only 4:40 in the morning. After seeing this, she lightly punches her thigh and curses herself for once again waking up hours early. Still, Miranda was wide awake anyway. Tossing aside her blanket, she slowly made her way off the bed and onto the floor trying to be as quiet as humanly possible to not disturb the sleeping crew. She made her way over to her locker wearing only her black bra and panties, both with a floral design on them. When she got there she opened the metal door to her locker very carefully and proceeded to first, take out her all black latex jumpsuit with orange outlining the edges and down her legs and puts it on. She then takes out a matching black collar and fastens it around her neck.

Making her way out of the room, the door closed quietly behind her leaving her in a brightly lit room, though it is dimmer than it would be during the day. The light was too much for her as she squints her eyes and makes her way to the mess hall, walking down the corridor around the elevator. When she got there, she saw EDI sweeping the floor. "Good morning Ms. Lawson. What brings you here so early?" She asks in her usual monotone.

"_Hello, EDI_." Miranda replies. "I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and what I have been getting was terrible. I could go to sleep at 9 at night and stay like that until 2pm the day after. But more frequently I've been falling asleep and waking up an hour to two hours later. I think it's starting to affect my performance." She says and pulls out a chair, sits down in it and rests her head on the palm of her hand.

"_That could be a sign of stress. Have you been stressed lately_?" EDI asks.

"_Lately is an understatement_." She snorted. "_I've been this way since Cerberus started chasing me. So maybe 6 or 7 months now. On top of that, the Reapers invaded and I haven't been able to do a damn thing about it. Im surprised my hair isn't falling out right now_."

"_I recommend you see Dr. Chakwas. She can prescribe you something to help you sleep." _The AI stated to Miranda, still sweeping the floor.

"_You're right. I'll see her tonight. Why are you sweeping the floor?_" She asked

"_Every Monday and Thursday from the hours between 1 in the morning to 5 in the morning I am required to clean the ship. Every Saturday I preform maintenance aboard the Normandy, fixing whatever minor problems present itself aboard the ship. Every Tuesday I restock the pa-_"

"_That's okay EDI, you don't have to tell me anymore._" Miranda says, interrupting EDI before she could finish her schedule.

"_Yes Ms. Lawson_." EDI responds and returns to her cleaning. A few minutes go by and Miranda still sits in that chair, waiting for something, anything. Just then, the sound of boots lightly hitting the floor makes its way all the way into the mess hall and stops right behind Miranda. Turning around, she faces the woman, not recognizing her. Light brown skin, chestnut eyes, and black hair brushed behind her ears, and wearing a Yeoman outfit. She's a complete opposite of Miranda, contrasting her pale skin and foggy blue eyes. The only similar feature they shared were their black hair. "_You must be Ms. Lawson. I was told you arrived yesterday. Good to meet you_!" The woman exclaims with a smile. "_It's always nice to meet new people."_

Miranda looks at her for a few seconds "_Im sorry, who are you_?" She asks quizzically.

"_Oh! Right! I'm Samantha Traynor_." She says, chuckling nervously "I'm the Yeoman aboard this shit. But you can call me Sam! All my friends call me Sam."

"_You're the Yeoman? What happened to Kelly Chambers_?" Miranda asked

"_Ms. Chambers resigned from Cerberus after she was rescued by Shepard and a few others from the Collector base. Now she helps out the refuges somewhere in the Citadel_." Sam informs her.

"Huh." She replies. "_Makes sense. It would scar anybody to be alive in there one moment and the next to be a pile of paste. I remember Shepard and I getting her out of the pod. She looked terrified.. But she was one of the lucky few we got to in time. We lost too many people that day_." Miranda said, seemingly looking through Sam as she recalls the event in her head. "_If I were in her position, I would probably do the same thing_." The room fell quiet for a short while. The only sound coming from the brushing along the floor from EDI's cleaning.

"_At least you weren't one of the lives lost that day_." Sam finally said, her voice low with a hint of sadness.

"_Yeah. Thank the Seven for that_." Miranda says with a smirk.

"_Uhm.. Excuse me?"_ Sam responds, baffled.

"_Oh. Nothing. It's just from this old book I read once_." She informed Sam "_So, why are you up so early_?"

"_Everyday I get up an hour before the rest of the crew to prioritize the Commanders messages, and, well, I basically just make sure everything runs smoothly_." Sam answered. "_Since I get up an hour before the crew, they should be getting up in a few minutes. Whenever there's something important going on, such as finding a Primarch on Palaven everyone has to get up an hour earlier. Meaning I would normally get up at 5 in the morning, but today, seeing it's a special occasion, I have to get up an ho…_" Miranda drifts off into her own thoughts, completely losing her focus to Sam describing her daily schedule. It goes on like this for what feels like an eternity, but finally Sam says _"…but you gotta do what you gotta do_."

Miranda was just conscious enough to process these words, and replies with a simple "Wow." As the clock strikes 5 the ship springs to life. The lights brighten, the Drive Core makes a slight humming noise as the ship draws more power, EDI puts the broom away, and a minute later doors open and the sound of chatter emerges as people start their day. Many come into the Mess Hall such as the chef who immediately gets ready to feed the crew, while others head elsewhere to prepare for the extraction to come in a few hours.

Time passes and those who served with Miranda on the Normandy SR2 stop by and welcome her back. One of these people being Joker, who walked up next to her saying, "_Well I'll be damned. I was told you were back, but I didn't believe it. So what have you been doing for the past several months? Trying out the exotic things this galaxy has to offer_?" He says with a wink. "_I don't suppose you picked me up a copy of 'The Asari Body' on your travels_?"

Smiling, Miranda replied "_Fuck you, Joker! Seven months and you're still the same arse that was here when I left_!"

Laughing, he patted Miranda on the back, "_Hah! It's good to have you back with us_." He said before walking away to get something to eat. "_Hey, Miranda! You want something to eat? We have eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns, pancakes, and eggs_." He asked, turning around with a plate full of all three choices.

"_No thanks, I'm not hungry_."

"_Well alright_" He said, putting a fork-full of scrambled eggs into his mouth and immediately making a face of pure disgust. "_Good choice_." He said with his mouth full of food. The chef gave him a dirty look as Joker took his plate with him and headed out of the room, presumably to the cockpit. He always knew how to make her laugh.

"_ETA to Palaven: 3 hours_" EDIs voice said over the intercom. To this, Miranda decided to head to the CIC and see what plan has been laid out for her to follow. Upon arriving in the circular room, she was mesmerized. _'It's beautiful' _She thought to herself. Looking around the circular room at, half the seats filled along the edge of the room with people skipping breakfast to work. But what stood out the most was the gem sitting in the middle. A circular platform with a holographic display of their landing zone on Palaven. The center of the display was focused on a single military base which she could only assume is where the Primarch is held up in. Green lines placed strategically along the interior and exterior of the base showing where Turian soldiers have taken up defensive positions, while the red lines, where are far more numerous, placed all around the outside of the base showing the Reaper forces have effectively surrounded the base. "_My god…" _Miranda says under her breath. "_The Turians don't stand a chance…"_ With the cluster of all the red and green lines, there is but one solid blue line trailing from the very edge of the display all the way to the center of the base. This, of course being the course taken by Shepard, Miranda, and one other when the time comes.

Miranda spent the next hour and a half examining the map and reading through data pads about the base and the Primarch they are to get. At this time, Shepard enters the room already wearing her carbon fiber padded armor with the N7 insignia on the right side of her chest plate and a red and white stripe traveling down her right arm. Looking up from a datapad, Miranda sees shepard enter the room and tosses the object onto the side of the display table. Before Shepard could say a word, Miranda was already all over her from the beginning. "_Shepard! This is insane_!" She says walking up to the display of the base. "_The base is completely surrounded_!" Pointing out 3 small dots, each the same distance away from the base forming a triangle around it. "_You see those three dots? Those are Hades Cannons. We won't be able to get anywhere near the base in the Kodiak without being shot down_!" She says in an aggressive tone. Now switching to a sarcastic one. "_Unless you send out Turian fighters to distract these cannons."_

A few seconds go by until Shepard responds "_That was the plan, their sacrifice will be noted_." To which Miranda just stood there, shocked by what the Commander just said.

"_You can't be serious… That's suicide! Shepard, please tell me you're not serious_!" She said, concern clearly present in her voice.

"_It's the only way, Miranda. If the fighters don't go up, there's no hope in getting the Primarch out of there._" Shepard replied.

"And if they do go up, the base will be down thirteen men and their leader!" Miranda said nearly on the verge of yelling. "The Turians follow a strict Hierarchy. We can retrieve the second in line and blame it on communication problems!"

In a stern voice, Shepard replied "_I'm sorry, Miranda. But this is the way it's going to be. We are going to go in and extract the Primarch. Even if that means sending a dozen men to their death_."

"_You're not just sending a dozen men to their death, Shepard. You are __**killing everyone**__ in that base by making this decision_." She said, using this as her last plea. "_Taking their leader will leave them disorganized and they will all surely die._"

"They will all die anyway! They are facing an overwhelming force, at least we could save one!" Shepard snapped back at Miranda.

Never having been yelled at by the commander before, Miranda froze where she stood for a short while before regaining her composure. "_Isn't that what we're doing commander? Facing an overwhelming force_?" Miranda responds in a calm tone. "_So why don't we just call it quits and give up? Were all probably going to be killed soon anyway.. We have hope, Commander. We have hope that it's possible to win this war. That's what keeps us going. It's the reason were even alive right now. As long as we have hope, we have a chance_." She paused for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. "_Those Turians down there have a chance to survive. As small as it may be, they still have a chance. But by making this call they will surely die. Their blood will be on your hands, Shepard_." She concluded and made her way to the door but was stopped mere feet from the exit.

"I'm still your Commander, Miranda! My word is Law!" Shepard said in a cold voice.

Miranda turned around to face Shepard. "_You used to be a Commander, Shepard. I don't know what you are anymore_." She said, turning back around and walking out the door and into the elevator, taking it down to the engineering deck. When she got out of the elevator, she made her way down the stars to where Jack used to stay during her time on the SR2, now it was just a place to store items in boxes. Sitting on one of the boxes Miranda let herself go as tears started to roll down her cheek. '_What happened to her? She used to listen to what I had to say and fight for what was right! She never let her temper flare up, and she never yelled at me before.'_ She thought to herself, wiping a tear away from her cheek with the back of her hand, sniffling._ 'At one point I even… Liked her.. Maybe it was more than just that.. But that was the old her, She's different now. I can't believe how foolish I was to think by coming back here that everything would go back to the way it was…' _Leaning back until she was touching the wall,

'_Damnit, Miranda! How could you let something like this get to you? Sure, maybe you had a thing for her once, but that was seven months ago! Surely you can't have feelings for her now?'_

Arguing both sides,_ 'Yeah.. But… I just don't know! When I called her the other day, she sounded really happy. I was even happy to hear her voice. For a second It reminded of the way things were, and I really wanted to return to simpler times. But then she goes and does this without even asking for my input. She knows it's wrong, but she doesn't care! '_

'_You've got to move on! You can't let anybody see you like this. You're supposed to be the tough, cold Miranda Lawson. You can't be this vulnerable!" She sat down there thinking about this until the intercom rings, breaking her from her trance._

"_Ms. Lawson, please report to the Shuttle Bay" _Edi says.

'_How long have I been here? No way it's been an hour yet.' _Getting up off the box, she rubs her eyes with the palms of her hands, puts on a strong face, and makes her way to where she was called.

Approaching the Kodiak, Shepard exits out the side seemingly still frustrated with Miranda about the conversation they had not too long ago. "_What the hell have you been doing? We were supposed to leave 15 minutes ago_." Shepard says with a bit of heat in her voice. "_You used to be so punctual_."

While looking in front of her and not at Shepard, Miranda says "I guess we've both changed." Other than saying that, Miranda paid no attention to her Commander and got on the Kodiac. Looking to the right towards the back of the ship, she saw strapped into the seat "_Liara_." She says and nods her head to greet her, to which Liara responds with a simple "_Hello." _Miranda made her way to the back to sit opposite to her when suddenly her left forearm, which was completely exposed, was grabbed by Shepards armored hand. Wincing from the pain, she had forgotten just how strong the Commander was and was surprised that her bone didn't shatter that second. The least painful option would be to go with it, and she was pulled to the other side of the shuttle and forced into a seat next to the cockpit across from Shepard. When her arm was released, the part that had been in a death grip quickly turned a dark red, while her face turned a faint pink. "_Ahhh shit.."_ She said, rubbing the mark

Shepard banged on the closed door to the cockpit, signifying for Cortez to take off. She then sat in the seat across from Miranda and leaned forward towards her. "_What the hell is your problem?!"_ She yelled as loud as a whisper would allow so to keep the conversation between only her and Miranda.

"_You're my problem!"_ She answered back in the same tone "_It's my second day back on the Normandy and you already ruined my clothes and, against my better judgment, made an immoral decision that will kill over a hundred men_!"

Lowering her tone a bit, and putting her elbows on her knees to support herself, Shepard says "_Granted, maybe the clothes thing was a bit out of my jurisdiction, but I was still within my power to make the call to get the Primarch_."

"I know the Commander and you have final say on what gets done," Miranda says and pauses for a few seconds. "But as the Executive Officer aboard this ship, I feel as if it's my duty to inform you when I believe you are making a stupid decision! You used to listen to my advice before, why not now?"

"_Miranda, look. I used to value your advice. But that was when we had something special_." Sounding a lot calmer now, she tilted her head down to look at the ground for a short while before looking back up at Miranda. "_Then you left. And you were gone for a really long time, without so much as a call or a message. You could have been dead for all I knew.. I had to move on… So from now on just know that I'm the Commander and you're the XO. Though you can still give me your opinion, don't feel I'm inclined to listen to it."_

After hearing this, Mirandas heart sank. '_If she got over me, why can't I get over her?'_ she thought to herself, trying her hardest to keep a straight face and keep her eyes from welling up. The rest of the trip was traveled mostly in silence had it not been for Cortez speaking over the Intercom "_Commander, were three minutes out. If we are to follow through with this plan you have to send the Turian fighters in the air now._" As he connected a direct line from Shepards omni-tool to the bases headquarters.

Miranda looked at Shepard with pleading eyes as she established a link with the base. The sound of gunfire and explosions rand throughout the cabin of the shuttle and a voice could be heard addressing others around him "_Commander Shepards on the line!"_ Now turning his attention to the commander herself, "_Commander?"_

Looking up, Shepard saw Miranda and she knew she was begging without her having to say it. Turning her head back down to address the Turians on the other lines, "_This is Commander Shepard, I am two minutes away from your base. Scramble your fighters to draw the fire of the Hades Cannons so we are clear to land_." As soon as the word 'Scramble' left Shepards mouth, a feeling of discontent spread throughout her body and her face showed it before she dropped her vision to the ground below her. "_Im sorry, Miranda_…" Shepard said sincerely before turning to a very solemn tone and addressing both Miranda and Liara, "_Okay, we have very little time to do this. So I want the Primarch located and in this ship in under 3 minutes! Got it?" _to which Liara responded in the affirmative, but Miranda just sat there quiet. _"Miranda, do you understand?"_

"_Yes, I bloody understand!" _She said, laced with bitterness just as the shuttle touched down and the door swung open to show dozens of Turian soldiers running about the camp while several times more lined the walls around the base doing everything they can to keep from being overrun. The sky was ablaze, powerful explosions causing tremors, Reapers standing tall in the distance, and Turian fighters buzzing around the Cannons. Immediately after setting foot on the planet, Miranda turned her attention to an empty machine gun post on the wall where the gunman had just been shot off. Abruptly disobeying her orders she made her way up the ladder, got on the turret, and unloaded round after round into the charging husks and advancing cannibals.

Losing track of time, she just continued to fire with adrenaline pumping through her veins and her heart beating a mile a minute. Watching one after the other, after the other fall until from the back of the pack emerged a Brute that was charging the wall. Before she actually had a chance to fire upon the brute, she was grabbed by the shoulders and violently pulled backwards off the turret with enough force to send her flying off the interior edge of the wall into a ten foot drop. Using her biotics to catch herself from hitting the ground she managed to stop herself two feet short. As she was getting to her feet a hand grabbed around the back of her collar and pulled her along, causing her feet to slide out from underneath her. Now being dragged along the floor from her neck, she reaches up to her collar with her right hand and pulls it the opposite direction hoping to free up some space for her to breath, while her other starts scratching at the hand dragging her only to find out its protected by Shepards carbon fiber armor. Her face turns red and tears running down her cheeks as she lets out choked exhales. To her this seems to go on forever, but soon enough it was over and she was tossed into the Kodiak. On her hands and knees in the middle of the shuttle choking and gasping for breath. Her ears were ringing and she could not hear a thing, but she could be sure Shepard was screaming at her right now.

A short while goes by and Miranda re gains her breath and her hearing to confirm the she was being yelled at by the commander. "_I SAID THREE MINUTES TO FIND THE PRIMARCH! WHAT DO YOU DO?! SPEND SEVEN MINUTES SHOOTING AT REAPERS!"_ Leaning back until she was sitting on her knees, she continued to take deep breaths and wipe the drying tears off her face, doing her best to drown out Shepards words.

Getting to her feet, a jolt of pain rips through her head like the worst headache in the Milky Way. Gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut as to not let out a scream of pain, she brought her hand up to the spot on her head where the pain seared. When she got to her feet she extended her free hand out onto a wall to prop herself up. Noticing two Turians sitting down, her vision then starts to spin. Interrupting whatever the Commander was saying "_Shepard… I-I don't…"_ her sight fading to black and her legs giving out beneath her, causing her to fall to her knees before collapsing to her side on the floor, unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3: Remission

**Chapter 3: Remission**

**Alright, so chapter three is done and Miranda is recovering. Spending a bit of time in her own head and a bit in the real world. A little bit of a Miranda/Samantha connection here. I decided to change the point of view to first person. Leave a review saying if you liked it or not and leave an idea for later installments!Check out my profile for a poll!  
**

Where am I? All I see is black. My head is pounding and I feel dizzy. It feels like im floating around in space, but even out there you can see the light from the stars. Over here there's nothing at... wait.. Out in the distance I see a white light. It seems to be getting closer. And the closer it gets, the faster it comes. Its brighter than a thousand suns. Like I'm looking into the heavens itself. Its nearly upon me, ripping apart the darkness that envelopes me with every inch it gains. Suddenly, its on top of me. Hit me like a bag of bricks, and I couldn't help stumble backwards a few feet. The light begins to fade, and I am soon able to make out images. It took me a little while to figure out where I was. I was in a hallway. A wide hallway with rock and metal both combining to support the area around me. I walked for a short while until the hallway opened up into a massive cavern that extended for as far as the eye could see. I could go no further for the floor ahead of me did not exist. A cliff that left an untold amount of feet between me and the ground. The colossal room I was in was light up by an orange hue emanating from what seems like tens of millions of small pods the lined the walls. Then, it struck me. I was in the Collector base.

I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, it was almost painful. I turned around, hoping to see anyone, and to my surprise, I saw everyone. Well, not everyone, but most of the crew. And much to my dismay, they were in pods lining the wall which weren't there when I first made my way down the hallway. Running up to the pod closest to me, there inside was Sam. She didn't look conscious. I felt nothing but anxiety and the the adrenaline that ran through my veins as I reach over to the side of the case containing her and I pulled with all my might. No matter how hard I tried, it did not work. It didn't even budge. Admitting defeat, I took a step back and punched the covering as hard as I could. There wasn't even a crack. I can't say the same for my bones. Shaking the pain off, I then saw black dots appearing on Sams body and begin spreading. As it begin to engulf her body, her eyes opened. Oh god. I could hear her screaming. Taking a step back, I cover my mouth with my hands and just watch, helpless. The look of fear on her face and the agonizing crys for help she made as she banged her arms against the pod were nearly too much for me to handle. I closed my eyes tight and covered the rest of my face in my hands as I waited for it to end. Please stop! Please! I can't take it anymore! And just like that, her screams began to die down until it was gone completely. Removing my hands slowly from my face, I could see she was no longer in her Pod, and my hand were shaking. Everything was quiet, and for that I was grateful. But it did not last long. Soon, faint screaming could be heard again. Growing louder and louder and it became apparent that the rest of the people that were in the pods lining the wall were now suffering the same fate as Sam.

Turning back towards the cavern, I ran as far to the edge as I could and covered my ears. I don't know how long I stood like this, but when I removed my hands, the screams were replaced by a slight humming noise, and I felt such a great relief. I'd gladly take this over screaming any time. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, it sounded like it was all around me. After a short, I finally see a platform drifting towards me. When it finally arrived, it connected itself with the top of the cliff I was on. Anywhere was better than here, I thought, and got on. Immediately, the platform started moving and floated down the cavern. I just found a comfy position laying down on it when it made an abrupt stop with an audible collision which sent me rolling a few feet. Getting up, I saw that the platform had stopped at another cliff, not unlike the one I was previously at, but I got off anyway. As soon as i was off the platform, it collapsed and fell for a minute before a sound of it impacting with the ground below could be heard. I looked down off the cliff, nothing. It was a dark abyss where not even light existed, just like where I was before the light hit me.

The sound of a ships engines getting louder and louder came from the right, down the length of the cavern. I looked, and I saw a blue light approaching. It got closer and I was able to make out that it was the Normandy. It made a full stop just off the cliff where I was standing, and the air lock opened to reveal Joker with an M-8 Avenger in his hands shooting past me down the hall. At first I was ecstatic to see him and the Normandy, but that was short lived until I turned around to see what he was shooting at. I saw me. Miranda running right towards me. I tried to call out, but no words escaped my mouth. She just kept running, as if I wasn't there. Suddenly, she was mere feet away from where I was standing, and instinctually I jumped to the side to get out of her way. I landed on the edge of the cliff and I tried as hard as I could to maintain my balance, and I would have too, but the rock under my feet gave out sending me falling towards the abyss. I could not even scream as I fell, looking up at Miranda climbing her way aboard the Normandy. I closed my eyes as tight as I could as I felt the air rush past me and through my hair. I tried to let my mind wander, to someplace different, but I couldn't. I was stuck here. The ground was rushing up on me, I just knew it. It took the platform nearly a minute to hit the ground, and my minute was just about up. I kept my eyes shut and clenched my teeth as I prepared myself to make contact. When all of a sudden, nothing. Everything just stopped. No more air rushing past me, just nothing. I opened my eyes, and sat up as fast as I could, covered in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. Once again, I had no idea where I was, but there was a blanket now down to my thighs that had just fallen off my chest, so obviously, I was in a bed in only my underclothes. But where was I? The room was completely dark save for the clock on the nightstand next to me, saying it was 4:32 in the afternoon. Just then I hear and feel the blankets rustling next to me and a familiar voice calls out "Miranda, I'm so sorry."

I turned to face her, but I can't see her through the darkness, the light from the clock seemingly disappearing completely. "Shepard?" I ask, a feeling of… Something ripples through my body. Butterflies? " It's the middle of the day. Why are we here?"

"Miranda, I'm so sorry" Shepard says again in a low, sincere tone.

"I heard you." I answer. "What are we doing here?"

"Please forgive me, Miranda." She says, her voice cracking a bit. After she finished, I felt the blanket slowly creeping up the right side of my body, despite Shepard being on the left. Okay, now im royally freaked-the-fuck-out, the butterflies I feel being replaced with a sense of nervousness and fear as I jump from the bed and land on the floor. "Miranda!" she yells. Assuming this is Shepards room, I scrambled to my feet and led by memory I fumbled my way around the room in search of the light switch. All the while there, she screams my name repeatedly. "MIRANDA!" "MIRANDA!" "MIRANDA!" she continued, her voice overlapping until it was just a jumble of her screaming my name a dozen times at once, drowning out my own thoughts. I have to end this! If I take any more I'm going to go insane! Finally, I got to the light switch, and wasting no time I flicked it on. The darkness shrouding the room disappears. But with visibility comes terror. For a brief second, all around the room is a countless amount of Shepards. Few of them in casual clothing, while the rest are completely naked and rotting. Some of them had their flesh missing over their chest, revealing their ribcage and their rotting insides. Some were missing limbs. Some looked like their cheek had been grabbed from the inside and ripped off their face. While most were a combination of these. And just like that, they were gone. Leaving me in a room all by myself, shaking in complete fear. I made my way to the elevator slowly, fighting the urge to curl up in a fetal position and never sleep again. As I was a few feet away, a hand behind me grabbed my own and I heard one more time "Miranda…"

Opening my eyes very wide and very fast, I sharply inhaled only to find myself out of that hellhole and in a brightly lit room. This place I recognized. It was the Med-Bay. I could hear to my right the heart monitor, which I could only assume to be mine spike as my heart races. A hand my left, and as I look over I could see Shepard standing over me with a concerned look in her eyes. Just seeing her scared me even more, and the beeping picked up. I could not move anything below my neck so I just laid there in utter terror as Shepards hand clasped my own and I could hear her calling for Dr. Chakwas who immediately came into the room and injected something into the IV drip in my arm. A few seconds go by and I feel my eyes getting heavy and my heartbeat begin to slow. I see Shepard place her right hand on my cheek and that is the last thing I feel before I close my eyes and am once again, surrounded by darkness.

I had idea how long I was out. It could have been hours, it could have been days, but I'm just glad that I didn't have any dreams. When I finally came around, I was unsurprisingly still in the Med-Bay, only this time i was completely alone. Taking a moment to examine myself, i saw that I was not in my uniform, but I was wearing a hospital gown with nothing under it. There's what feels like pads attached to my chest and the wires coming out from the side of my gown that attach to various machines confirm this. The room would be void of sound were it not for my heart monitor maintaining a steady beeping sound. Only now I begin to realize that I can't see anything out of my right eye. Bringing up my right hand to my head, I begin to feel around and I find covering my right eye a gauze strip which when I follow, I find out that it wraps all the way around my head. Covering my right eye, passing over the top of my left and running around the back of my head under my hair and covering my right ear before repeating a couple of times over. What happened to me? I can hear my heart monitor begin to slightly increase pace. Looking around, I see a small remote on a table to the left side of my bed which I pick up. There are large up and down arrows in the center, while smaller buttons on the side which I'm not sure what they do. Pressing the up arrow, my bed begins to move. The back begins to rise until I am in a nice reclined position, facing the window that looks out over the mess hall. I could see a few people in the other room. Some moving around, while the others are sitting at the table. Looking at those sitting down, I lock my eyes on the light bronze-skinned woman who seems to be in conversation with the others at the table. Before long, she notices me looking at her and as soon as she does she springs to her feet and quickly walks over to where I am.

The door to the Med-Bay opened and in walks Sam who quickly makes her way over to the side of my bed, I felt so relieved to see her. "Ah good! You're up! I was beginning to think you would never stir." She says with a smile.

"What happened? Where's Chakwas?" I ask her in a low gruff voice.

"Dr. Chakwas is in bed. She told me to keep an eye on you while she was there. You may be wondering why she's in bed at 2:15 in the afternoon. Well, she stayed up all last night after you had that panic attack to make sure everything with you was fine." Oh, good. That happened less than a day ago. That's a relief. "She said it normally wouldn't be that big of a deal, but since you had one the other day she just thought she'd keep an extra eye on you." WHAT?! I had two panic attacks?!

"How long have I been here?" I said, trying to hold myself back from yelling.

"Four days." She answered. FUUUUUCK! "Calm down. You're okay" She said as my heart monitor began to pick up. Taking a deep breath, I tried to do just as she said. And it worked, my hear rate began to slowly level itself off until it was back to normal.

"Okay. So tell me, what happened to me?"

"Well, I don't really know. But Dr. Chakwas told me that due in part to the amount of stress you have been in lately and the physical abuse you have put your body through, you had a cerebral Hemorrhage."

"I'm sorry?" I replied, concern and disbelief audible in my voice.

"A vein in your head burst, blood wasn't able to flow prope-" She said before I cut her off

"I know what it is. I just don't… Ughhhhhhh" I groan as I bring my hands up and press them against my forehead. "This sucks"

"Yeah.. It happened right behind your right ear." She said, sitting on the side of my bed and placing her hand on my thigh in comfort. "The Doctor said it was alright for you to leave if you want." Her voice was as warm and soothing as anything.

"Yeah. I'd like that." I said and brought my hands back down to rest over my stomach. "Where's Shepard?" I asked.

Getting off the bed, she turned her focus to the IV that was in my arm. "She took Liara and Garrus down to Tuchunka." Removing the padding around the needle and pulling it out, I cringed. I always hated needles. Well, It was more of a downright fear of them. Putting a piece of cloth over my arm to stop the blood. "Don't like needles, eh?" She says with a smirk. "Okay, now for the pads under your gown." She says and unties a knot on the side and flips it over my body, leaving me naked. Looking over to the side away from her, I couldn't help but blush. I'm pretty sure she was too. I didn't even notice her taking them off me, and before I knew it, she covered me back up with the rest of the gown.

Slowly I shifted myself around until I was sitting up and my feet were hanging off the side of the bed. "Careful, now." She said and put a hand on my right arm.

I couldn't help but smile at her concern. "I'm alright. What are they doing down on Tuchunka?" I ask.

"Curing the Genophage. Now come on over. I'll make you something to eat." She says with a warm smile and proceeds to walk out the room. I slid my feet to the floor and followed closely behind her. I was surprised when she said that Shepard was curing the Genophage, but I refused to get worked up about it, so I just kept my mouth shut.


End file.
